Whooping cough is on the rise

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

EVERETT — Local cases of whooping cough have quadrupled since May, the Snohomish County Health Department reported this week.

So far this year, the county has seen at least 41 cases of pertussis, the highly contagious respiratory illness known as whooping cough, with 11 cases reported in the past two weeks. This spring, health officials warned of an epidemic year for pertussis after 10 county residents contracted the bacterial infection. Since 2021, the county hasn’t surpassed three cases per year.

The trend is statewide — Washington had seen at least 695 cases as of early September, compared to 41 cases reported by the same time last year.

The uptick is concerning, county Health Officer James Lewis said, but he doesn’t consider it an outbreak yet. Most cases are isolated, he said, and “the risk to the public is relatively low.”

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/whooping-cough-is-on-the-rise-in-snohomish-county/

[Walleye]

1. Because of people not getting vaccinated?

[cbabe]

2. Vaccine wears off. Check with your doctor for a booster.

[AnnaLee]

3. Do school children get vaccinated for whooping cough?

If not, what is currently low risk could explode with schools starting up for this year.

[Linda ladeewolf]

4. I'm not a doctor

But I heard a little one around 1-2 the other day in a store, he was hacking his/her little head off with what I thought was whooping cough. He had that funny little sound at the end, the parents were oblivious. I had whooping cough when I was about 10, I remember how awful it was.